Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer


Football Season is rapidly approaching & I for one am more than excited. Now, I will watch any football game, but I still have my teams. When it comes to college football, I’m a bit torn & confusing to most people. I went to the University of Georgia and so of course, I will always bleed Georgia Red and support the Dawgs. However, I am and have always been a tried and true University of Alabama Crimson Tide fan. So when the dawgs play the tide, I pretend that I want Georgia to win, but I’m not so great at pretending.


So, with pre-season having already begun, and the regular season only 17 (college) & 24 (pro) days away, I wanted to break it down a bit and make some predictions of my own:


NCAA College Football:

Top 5 preseason standings are as follows:

1) Alabama

2) Ohio State

3) Florida

4) Texas

5) Boise State


With Alabama being the BCS national champions last year, a lot of people are questioning whether or not Nick Saban can lead a team to victory two years in a row. Here are some facts: 1) there hasn’t ever been a repeat BCS national champion since the BCS began in 1998. 2) A team has not won back-to-back nation national championships since Nebraska in 1994 & 1995. 3) Nobody in the SEC has repeated a championship since Tennessee in ’97 and ’98.

I’ve seen first hand how far a number 1 team can fall. The Georgia Bulldogs started out No. 1 for the 2008/2009 season after defeating Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. However, I have a lot of faith in my ‘bama boys. For starters, they still have running back Mark Ingram, last years Heisman trophy winner. They also have undefeated quarterback Greg McElroy, and receiver Julio Jones. The only trepidation I have is in terms of defense. Javier Arenas, Marquis Johnson and Terrence Cody will all be gone. I’m not too worried though. If anyone can break this BCS curse, it’s gonna be Alabama and their incredible offensive line.

With last years Rose Bowl victory, Ohio State is a team to look out for. The Buckeye line up has 10 returning offensive starters and has some serious players on defense as well. For one, LB Brian Rolle. Last year he intercepted Navy on a two-point conversion & then took the ball 100 yards for the score. (I’ve watched this play a few times and it gets your adrenalin pumping for sure). The Buckeyes definitely have potential to go to the BCS title game.

Now onto one of my not so favorite teams, but one I have to acknowledge: the Florida Gators. The Gators are led by head coach Urban Meyer who had a record of 13-1 last season. The only issue facing the Gators: they’re losing QB Tim Tebow. Taking his place will be John Brantley. Brantley has some serious cleats to fill and I’m sure Meyer lets him know that every day. Unfortunately for Brantley, he’s rarely seen the field in the past four years. However, I highly doubt Gator fans have anything to worry about. Urban Meyer is one of the best coaches in the league (whether I like it or not), and probably won’t let Brantley rest until he’s up to par.

Personally, I think that Texas has and always will be great at football. Football & beauty pageants, that’s what Texas does, right? I mean honestly, if you name your kid Colt McCoy, you know he’s going to be pretty darn good at football. However, The Longhorns didn’t end their season as they had hoped. QB Colt McCoy injured his shoulder during the first drive of the BCS championship against Alabama last year. However from this injury, QB Garret Gilbert got some much needed playing experience. During the second half of the national championship, Gilbert got over his jitters and really showed everyone why he plays for Texas. I don’t think Colt McCoy will be easy to replace, but Gilbert may just be the man for the job.


Boise State may be the underdogs when it comes to this discussion, as they have never made it to the national championship game. However, Boise has 21 of 22 returning starters, including Kellen Moore who was a potential Heisman candidate. This year could be it for Boise State if they can have their third straight undefeated season.


It’s a bit early to be making predictions, but I think the BCS Championship will be played by Alabama & Ohio State. Both teams have the majority of their starters returning. With McElroy, Richardson and Ingram, Alabama will be a tough team to take on. If anyone can question the Crimson Tides strength however, I think it will be Ohio State. The Buckeyes have serious running backs in Pryor, Saine, and Herron and a great receiver in DeVier Posey. The Buckeyes should be able to dominate the Big Ten, but Iowa and Penn State will sure give them a run for their money. Personally, I don’t think anyone can take on ‘Bama in the SEC. Although they play Florida during the regular season, with Tebow gone, I’m not too worried. Alabama and Ohio State both have amazing potential and could reach undefeated records this season. Of course however, I am going to predict that
Alabama will make history this season!


Stay tuned for my NFL discussion coming soon. I’m expecting a job offer from ESPN any day now…Seriously, if Erin Andrews wants to keep on dancing with the stars, I can take over as sideline reporter. I’d even sit next to ex-Gator Jesse Palmer.